


Fathers

by McKayRulez



Series: Bi11y [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Age Difference, Billy Hargrove & Eleven | Jane Hopper Friendship, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Bonding, Daddy Issues, Eleven | Jane Hopper Stays in Hawkins, F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Post-Season/Series 03, Protective Billy Hargrove, Sensory Deprivation, Soft Billy Hargrove, Swimming Pools
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 17:57:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKayRulez/pseuds/McKayRulez
Summary: “Did you hear me?! Pool’s closed!” When he neared, he finally saw who the young teen was. El.She was floating lazily on her back. Billy frowned confused, as she was wearing a blindfold and earplugs. On one of the pool chairs was a radio, with static radiating loudly from it’s speakers.He neared the edge of the pool and stared at the girl bewildered. “El?”Still no response.





	Fathers

Billy finished drying himself, after his rinse off in the pool showers. He slung his shirt over his shoulder as he went outside, and the cool night air hit him instantly causing goosebumps. 

Summer was finally ending. 

A strange quiet noise filled his ears outside, and a hint of pale against the clear pool water caught his peripherals. He turned and faced it. “Hey!” He called out. “Pool’s closed!” 

He got no response and he readied himself for a confrontation as he stalked forward. “Did you hear me?! Pool’s closed!” When he neared, he finally saw who the young teen was. 

El. 

She was floating lazily on her back. Billy frowned confused, as she was wearing a blindfold and earplugs. On one of the pool chairs was a radio, with static radiating loudly from it’s speakers. 

He neared the edge of the pool and stared at the girl bewildered. “El?” 

Still no response. 

He looked to the exit. He couldn’t lock up while she was here, and he didn’t exactly want to see what would happen, if he interrupted whatever strange super powered ritual she was up to. 

He sighed and sat down on the edge of the pool and decided to reluctantly wait. It didn’t really bother him that much. After all, he was used to waiting, given how late Max always was when he had to drive her to and from school. Also well.. It gave him more time away from returning home.. Although his dad would probably be pissed about it for no reason. 

The static of the radio droned on and Billy almost felt entranced by it, with nothing else to listen to. He gazed down at his feet below him, shimmering in the water. He didn’t know how long time passed, but suddenly the pool’s surface rippled.

His eyes instantly shot up to look at El. Her hair splayed out in the water, and pale arms outstretched at her sides. There was a grimace on her face. A slight twitch in the shoulders. Then a few seconds of mild thrashing, after which she suddenly was screaming and flailing wildly, as she began to go under water blindly drowning. 

Instincts took over, as Billy dove instantly and swam to her thrashing body. He scooped her up and pushed his feet off hard from the pools bottom and lifted them up, breaking the surface. El was still freaking out, as she began to push Billy away screaming “Papa!” 

“EL!” Billy yelled at the screaming girl, who shoved and scratched his face and chest. Her toe nails digging into his upper legs as she kicked at him. The water shuttered at each push of her hands into him. As if she was trying to use telekinesis, but it wasn’t strong enough to affect him, but only the weightless currents around them. 

The two went down again in the struggle and it took everything in him to keep them close to the surface. Billy strained and gasped air as they breached again. He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, as they continued to shift between surface and below. He let go of his other arm and used it to wretch the soggy blindfold off El’s face. “EL!... El!” 

She slowly opened her eyes as she thrashed. 

“It’s me. Billy.”

She looked out of it. “Billy?” 

“Yes.” He struggled to keep them above level. “Come on. You can do this. Calm down.” 

El was shaking and she seemed bewildered. 

“Let me help you.” 

It took her a moment, before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and allowed Billy to swim them both to the ladder and out of the pool. 

El sat there on the cement shaking, wet and freezing in the night breeze. When Billy left to find them dry towels, he could faintly hear her sobbing as he walked away. 

When he came back, he turned off the radio and draped the towel around her shoulders and sat down cross legged in front of her. “Mind tell me what that was all about?” 

She gazed at the ground. 

He tilted his head as he gazed at her. “Hey.. You’ve seen into my head.. Only fair I see what’s in yours, right?” He raised an eyebrow, trying to be encouraging. 

She looked up at him on the edge of more tears. “Papa..” She finally sobbed. 

“Papa?” He repeated and looked at her sadly. He had heard about what had happened to Hopper.. No wonder she was so upset.. But.. What did that have to do with the pool? 

She nodded. Her eyes looked strained. “Found him..” 

“You.. found Hopper?” He asked confused. 

“Not Hopper.. Other Papa.” 

“Other…?” He blinked. He had no idea what she was talking about. She started crying again and she suddenly clung onto him sobbing. 

“He’s alive!” 

“Oh…? That’s..” Guessing by the sobbing. He’d guess bad. “Bad?” 

She nodded into his chest. 

He looked down at her mess of wet hair, with her forehead pressed onto him. “And you found him.. Through the..” Well, he wasn’t sure what to call this weird ritual, so he just said, “pool?” 

“Yes. Normally use static but… Powers are weak now. Had to use the old way.” 

“Right…” Yeah, he had so much impossible stuff happen to him this Summer, he really didn’t need to question anything at this point. “Why did you..” He tilted his head as he gazed down at her. “Look for him? If he’s bad?” 

El said nothing for a moment, as her head laid on Billy’s warm chest. She brought her hands to his arms and clung onto them. “....Had to know.. If alive..” 

He gazed at her serious. “El. Listen to me.” He reached up and lifted her chin to have her look him in the eyes. “There are people in this world you need to stay away from.. And I might not know this guy, but I do know if he caused you this much distress just by seeing him, then I know you need to stay away from him.” 

“He’s..” Her voice broke. She had no one left. Hopper was dead, her sister was living her own life, she had tried to live with the Byers, but it just didn’t feel right, and now they were gone, and she broke up with Mike. She had no family.. But Papa.. “Papa.” 

His gaze hardened and he tensed. “Whether he’s your “Papa” or not. Family can still hurt you and you need to cut abusive people out of your life.” He leaned his face closer to hers. “Don’t ever look for him again. You hear me?” 

She stared up at his tortured eyes that mirrored her own. 

When she gave no reply he added, “I’m older than you.. I.. I understand these things.. Very well.” He added sadly. 

She knew. They both knew. 

After a brief pause of thought, she nodded quietly. 

He stared at her for a moment then let out a breath. “Good.” He gazed around the quiet, empty pool, then looked back at her. “Come on.” He pulled himself up and then helped her up. “I’ll drive you home.” 

He walked over to where he dropped off his shirt. 

“Home?” 

He momentarily stopped reaching down to pick up his clothes, when he heard the timidness in her voice. He straightened and looked over at her shivering form, hugging herself in her towel. 

“Yeah..” He frowned and walked up to her. “ But first, let’s get you out of those wet clothes.” He offered his shirt. “Here.”

“Thanks.” She bowed her head and took it. After changing shirts, she followed were Billy had walked off to. He picked through the lost and found box, until he found a jacket someone had left behind and gave it to her as well. Afterwards, Billy shut off the lights and locked up the pool. He opened the passenger side door for El to enter. 

The car was warmer than the outside from sitting in the sun all day. 

Billy cycled through the radio stations. The sudden loudness against the quiet night made El slightly jump. Billy side glanced at her and smirked. “It’s okay. Little rock and roll never hurt anyone.” 

She nodded hesitantly and soon enough Billy found a song he liked. As he drove, following El’s directions as she told him which turns to take, he started singing and El started to smile, amused as he shook his long hair, bobbing to the beat against the wheel. He glanced over at her as he sang and made exaggerated expressions, causing El to burst into laughter and he laughed also, happy at her change of mood. 

Eventually, they reached the cabin and Billy looked at the little house warily, as he turned the car off. They stepped outside and Billy frowned at the state of the little cabin It was wrecked and full of holes from the Mind Flayer. 

“This is your place?” 

She nodded as she went to the door and unlocked it. Billy hesitated and took a step inside. Even though he had never been here physically before, he had a keen sense of deja vu from his time here in her mind world. 

As she gazed around the room, Billy was suddenly acutely aware of just how empty the place really was and he realized.. With Hopper gone.. “You.. You live here by yourself?” 

“Yes.” 

Billy peered around the wreckage that left the cold draft in. “Who takes care of you?” 

El gave him a confused look. 

“You know.. Feeds you?.. And.. other stuff?” 

“Eggos.” She showed him her collection in her fridge proudly. 

He blinked and then realization dawned. “You’re the ego thief in the news?” 

She nodded and smirked proudly. 

He laughed, but added, “That’s not exactly a good-” She gave him a look but he was immune to it. He had seen much worse. “Breakfast. You can’t just eat egos 24/7.. And..” He looked around the wreckage. “This place isn’t safe.” 

“No where else to go.” 

He paused, as the two looked at each other. He then turned and headed back to the door, he turned back and looked at her sharply. “Come on.” 

She blinked. “Don’t.. Understand?” 

“I know a hotel.”

She looked around the place that had been her home, then slowly raised her gaze and stared up at him. 

“I go there often when I want to..” He looked distant and unhappy. “avoid my.. ‘Papa’..” His eyes shifted back to her. “I think we both need to say away from our dads.” 

She nodded slowly and he reached out a hand to her, that she looked down at hesitantly. 

“So, how about we run away from home together?” He then smirked cooly. “Want to be a badass runaway? “What do you say El?” 

She looked up at him then after a moment smirked and took his hand. “Bad ass.” She repeated with a head nod. 

He grinned. “That’s what I’m talking about!” He tilted his head back and howled, as they exited the cabin. 

The two took to the streets and this time, El joined in singing as best she could to the strange beat of Billy Hargrove.

**Author's Note:**

> Continues in the short story "You're Good" https://archiveofourown.org/works/20017861


End file.
